The warmth of a wolf
by moewe93
Summary: Leah finds Bella in the woods after Edward left her and imprints on her. Short fluff, no sex scenes. I will continue unregularly, depends on the response I get.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Just something I had on my mind :) I hope the format is better now...I have no idea what happened the last time^^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

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><p>Rage was all that occupied her mind, when Leah stormed away from Sam's house. She just couldn't take all the happiness and love everybody seemed to be emitting.<p>

She knew, that she was acting childish and without any reason. She was also pretty sure, that Emily was crying right now in the kitchen because of her harsh words. But she just couldn't help it this time. Why was she the only one without a mate, was it really that hard for fate to let her imprint. She didn't even care at that point, who fate would choose for her, if it would only choose at all.

Her angry steps carried her into the woods, but not even the dim green light and the fresh scents could calm her today. She just kept on walking, not caring where she was going and not noticing that she already had passed the treaty line. Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own and that was when she heard the crying. It was by far the most heartbreaking sound she ever heard in her life. Loud sobs followed by small whimpers and hiccups. All Leah could decipher was, that it was a female crying and that her wolf was suffering with every sound she heard.

She broke out into a run, following her ears and this strange pull inside her chest. It didn't take long till she came upon a sight she was sure she never would be able to forget. There, between the roots of an old tree was a girl, maybe a year or two younger than herself, curled into a tight ball and crying her heart out.

Without even noticing Leah began whimpering and growling herself. She knelt next to the girl and after a moment of hesitation reached out and cradled her up against her chest. The girl was freezing cold and subconsciously snuggled closer to Leah's warmth.

Leah just leaned against the tree and began rocking the girl in her arms, purring all the time and murmuring soothing words. It took several hours until the loud sobs subsided and the whimpering stopped. Now only a few hiccups could be heard and when those also stopped, Leah couldn't help herself but hold her breath.

Slowly the girl in her arms moved and craned her neck to look at Leah. She had the most mesmerizing chocolate brown eyes and the slight shiver of hope that shone through the hurt and heartbrokenness was enough to send butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.

Leah just couldn't take her eyes of this girl in her arms, a warm and tingling feeling began to form in her chest and all those bitter thoughts she had had earlier flew away.

She cupped the girl's cheek in her left hand, and gently swiped the remaining tears away. Wonder appeared next to the hope, but their eye contact never faltered.

Leah didn't know how long that sat like that, staring each other into the eyes and soul. Only when it started to get dark around them did she noticed how long she had been in the woods. The girl also stirred slightly and for the first time one of them broke the silence when she whispered "Thank you. I don't even know you, but it seems like it doesn't hurt as bad when you are here with me."

"I'm Leah and I'm happy that I could help. You just sounded so utterly heartbroken, that I had no other choice than to follow your cries. Actually I'm quite glad I did. Whether you will believe it or not, you helped me just as much as I helped you."

For a moment the girl stared at her, with her head cocked to one side and then a slight smile appeared on her face.

"I'm Bella. Jake told me about what happened with you and Sam. I guess now I can understand what you must feel like constantly."

All Leah could do not to gape at her with her mouth hanging open was stuttering "J…Jake talked to y…you about me?"

Bella nodded and her genuine smile seemed to widen a bit. It was a truly beautiful sight to see. Then she took a deep breath and said very quietly "He left me you know. I always wanted to believe, that Jake wasn't right and that he really loved me, but I guess I was just a naïve little girl. He took me here and then he told me, that he didn't love me, that I meant nothing to him and that he and his family would be leaving me here. It hurt so much, but then you came and everything became clearer. He lied to me all this time and to think that I wanted to be like him. It just seems so wrong to me now."

Leah just wrapped Bella in her arms when the tears started to fall again. She wasn't entirely sure if she knew just what the girl was talking about, but it didn't matter. A boy hurt her and she knew how terribly that feeling was, she experienced it herself.

"Do you want me to take you home?"

Bella just shook her head and tightened her own grip on Leah. Her wolf roared in pride, his mate had chosen him and didn't want to leave his side. Leah herself wasn't sure what she should do. She wanted to just stay with Bella but it was also pretty late and she was sure that Bella's dad was worried sick about his daughter. Finally an idea popped into her head.

"Would you like me to take you to my home instead? You could call your dad so that he isn't worried and I could keep you at my side."

"I would really like that Leah."

A surge of heat flooded her body when she heard Bella for the first time say her name. But she knew that there was no place for desire right now. So she just swept Bella of her feet, carrying her bridal style and breaking out into a light jog. They were very deep into the forest and she had the deep urge to get Bella out of her wet clothes and safely tucked into her bed next to her.

Bella snuggled her head into the crook of Leah's neck and started caressing the soft skin there with her lips. Leah wasn't sure if the girl was even aware of her actions, because everything else about her body told her, that she was already half asleep.

It took Leah about half an hour to reach her home and there she just leapt up on her windowsill and into her room without having to face Seth and her mother. She wasn't sure how she would explain a half drenched Bella Swan tucked into her arms. She just hoped, that Seth didn't tell their mother that she was home because she was sure she had a nice, long lecture waiting for her.

As carefully as she could Leah pulled the wet clothes off of Bella's body without looking too much and dressing her in one of her own sleep shirts. The girl just mumbled something about wanting to cuddle and warmth, which made Leah smile.

Fate truly came around on her today, because she couldn't imagine a better mate than Bella, even if she had been hurt and surely would take a while to get comfortable with intimacies, but that didn't matter to her. Not when she had her mate safely tucked in her arms and her wolf as calm and relaxed, as he never had been before in her chest.

Before Leah herself drifted to sleep, she buried her nose into Bella's hair and inhaled her sweet honey and flower scent that made her feel whole and happy. With a last content sigh she snuggled even closer to her mate and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I decided to give you a second chapter on this one :) hope you like it and again, depending on your reviews another chapter might be added.**

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><p>When Leah began to stir the next morning, the feeling of the smaller but warm body pressed into her front made her smile instantly. The fear that everything that happened yesterday was only a dream didn't have a chance to rise, when Bella stirred and snuggled even closer to Leah with a small contend sigh.<p>

Opening her eyes slowly, she was greeted with the magnificent chocolate brown of Bella's eyes. "Good morning, did you sleep well?" Leah practically purred out.

With a small chuckle Bella nodded. "I think I've never slept so good in my whole life to be honest." She whispered and blushed an adorable shade of pink.

Before Leah could say anything else, the door to her room suddenly opened and in came her mother with a murderous look in her eyes. It seemed, that Seth told her about what happened yesterday. The tirade however never followed, because in that moment her mother noticed the other person occupying her bed and just opened and closed her mouth without actually saying anything at all.

Leah could see the blush on Bella's cheeks deepening under the unwavering stare of her mother. It seemed to be upon her to break the tense silence in the room and she did so by coughing awkwardly. "Morning, mum. There was a sort of emergency yesterday and so I took Bella home with me. I phoned her dad to let her know where she was, so no need to worry."

Her mother only scoffed at that. "Well, you two better get dressed and down into the kitchen. I guess there are some things we need to talk about Leah."

Leah could only nod, she had the sinking feeling, that this wouldn't be all roses and sunshine and from the worried look Bella was sending her, she had the same sense of foreboding.

When they finally managed to get dressed and arrived downstairs in the kitchen, her mother was sitting there stiffly, nursing a seemingly cold cup of coffee between her hands. Leah didn't dare to fix herself a cup first, but sat down immediately in front of her mother. Bella took the seat next to her and together they waited for the older woman to start speaking.

After a long moment of awkward tension, Sue sighed deeply. "Did you really have to lash out at Emily again like that yesterday? I think she knows how much she's hurt you, but she can't help what she feels and you know that."

Leah just stares down at her hands, ashamed of her actions. Now that she has found Bella, she knows even better than before, that it was neither Emily's nor Sam's choice to hurt her. It still happened and she had felt so hurt and betrayed, that she hadn't wanted to get over it.

"Would you tell me what happened? I believe it was the reason for you being in the forest by yourself and for that I will always be grateful."

Leah fidgeted with her hands, but decided after a look into Bella's warm eyes, that she would tell her everything. She just wasn't able to deny her mate anything.

"We all were at Sam's, when they started discussing the aspect of imprinting, because the younger ones didn't know nearly enough about it. Sam showed us his thoughts about Emily. Most of them were the ones I would see every other day when I'm on patrol with him, but this day he decided to show them how it felt like to lay eyes on his imprint for the first time. It was important for the boys to know what their wolf would do. But I just couldn't stand seeing myself in his memories and feeling his feelings severe all over again. I don't love him anymore, but that still hurt like hell. So I changed back and went inside to avoid the stares full of pity."

Leah was reluctant to go on, but when Bella lightly nudged her in the rips, she took a deep breath and continued.

"Emily was in the kitchen, making some muffins. I didn't really mean to snap at her so harshly, but after the all the old wounds were so fresh in my memory, my wolf took over. I basically told her, that Sam just fell for her, because she had been like a bitch in heat around him. She paled and started to cry. She didn't even defend herself, she just told me she was sorry. I somehow didn't want her to just stand there and say nothing, because that was just making everything worse."

Again Leah faltered and needed to steel herself before continuing.

"I threw insults at her, until she finally snapped and told me, that she was sorry but that she loved Sam and that she would continue to love him no matter what I said or did and that I didn't deserve him for still standing up for me in front of all the others. What I didn't know was that Sam was standing in the entrance to the kitchen. He had felt the distress of his mate and went to check on her. He was livid and yelled at me to get out of his house and to not come back until I was sure I could apologize to Emily and act civil once again."

For a very long moment Leah was only met with silence, her mother gaped at her with sadness and anger in her eyes, but it was Bella who pulled them both out of their stupor when she hugged Leah as fiercely as she could and began stroking calming circles on the small of her back.

"Well, that was very stupid of you. Do you think you are able to apologize to her? She is your cousin and your best friend Leah."

"I know that it was wrong what I did and I honestly don't know why I acted like that, but I think I will need some time to come up with something proper to say and not just mumble an awkward apology."

Sue nodded and after a last confused look at Bella, who had yet to let go of Leah, she emptied her mug into the sink and left both young women alone.

"Do you want to tell me why you feel so much different about this whole situation then you did yesterday?"

When Leah looked down at Bella, the girl seemed to have a hopeful gleam in her eyes and again she found herself unable to deny her anything.

"I guess I am just able to understand them fully now."

"And why is that Leah?"

"Ermm..Do I really have to tell you?"

Bella smirked at her, something Leah didn't expect to see so soon after her breakdown in the forest and the horrible breakup she just suffered through. But it made her happy to see that side of her mate.

"I imprinted yesterday and all the pain and grief that was still left somewhere inside of me just seemed to vanish."

"And who would happen to be your imprint?"

Without answering Leah pulled a surprised Bella onto her lap and connected their lips in a soft kiss. The feeling racing through here was not comparable to anything else. All the remembered kisses with Sam vanished from her mind and she solely focused on Bella, her beautiful mate who somehow wanted her maybe as much as Leah wanted her.


End file.
